The main objective of the Workshop is to discuss strategies for employment creation in rural areas to reduce poverty in Lao PDR. The workshop will emphasize the link between rural underemployment/lack of income and rural poverty. It will discuss approaches and examples of how to promote rural employment and create both short-term and long-term jobs. The Workshop will review how such approaches could be integrated as a territorial approach.

 The expected outcome of the Workshop is an agreed Road Map, i.e. an agreement on target areas, components of an integrated approach and the next steps.

 It is proposed that the Workshop will have 4 main sessions (for a draft programme kindly refer to the attached document):

 Session 1:  Will be organized by MPI. The session will explore the link between poverty reduction and rural employment creation. Main presentations will come from the Planning and Rural Development divisions. ILO will discuss the concepts of rural unemployment, underemployment and compare Lao PDR to other countries in the region. This first session sets the scene. At the end of the session, participants will have been updated on the rural employment situation in Lao PDR, better understand the importance of rural employment creation in the context of poverty reduction and understand the concepts of unemployment, underemployment, income support etc.

 Session 2: Will be conducted by the facilitator. It will give opportunity to others to talk about rural employment promotion and present their contribution, in particular MoLSW, MoAF and the Leading Commission. The main objective of this session is to identify critical issues and challenges in rural employment promotion. At the end of the session, participants will have a better understanding of such critical issues and challenges and understand the importance of addressing rural un(der)employment.

 Session 3: Will be organized by ILO. It will present different approaches developed and implemented by ILO in various countries in the region including Lao PDR. It will integrate these approaches in an area-based approach. The session will discuss both short-term and long-term job creation instruments. The session will also give opportunity to other organizations to present their rural employment creation activities. At the end of the session, participants will have a better understanding of ILO approaches for rural employment creation and a possible integration of such approaches at local level.

 Session 4: Will be organized by the facilitator. It will discuss the way forward based on the earlier discussions. This final session will try to find consensus on priority target areas, possible components of a rural employment strategy and follow up activities. It will seek to develop a road map for initiating work at the local level and discuss the need for developing a national strategy for rural employment creation to support the national poverty reduction objectives as specified in the NSEDP.